Talent and entertainment company United Talent Agency (UTA) announced that Joseph Kessler has been named to the newly-created position of Global Head of UTA IQ. Kessler, a consumer insights and research strategist, and his new division will analyze third-party data and leverage its own proprietary tools and predictive analytics to provide actionable intelligence to agents, executives, and clients across UTA’s practice areas. He will report to UTA Co-President David Kramer and UTA Head of Digital Media Brent Weinstein.

““Over many decades, Joe has successfully operated at the high-stakes intersection of digital disruption, data-driven consumer insights and global brands,” said Kramer. “He’s done so at a time when the explosion of platforms available to content creators and consumers means we must constantly provide deep, informed insights to our clients and within our own businesses. He’s the perfect executive to take the great work already being done by our existing teams and build a next-generation practice that can support the growing needs and ambitions of our company and our clients.”

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From 2009 through 2014, he was president of The Intelligence Group (IG), a division of Creative Artists Agency, which provided audience insights, data and strategic counsel to artists, athletes, and media and entertainment companies such as Fox, Sony, Disney and IMAX, and top brands like Red Bull, Adidas and Microsoft, and provided strategic intelligence and analysis for incubated startups and venture investments. Previously, Kessler was a senior partner at SS+K, which served as then-candidate Barack Obama’s youth outreach agency of record during the run up to the 2008 national elections. Following the acquisition of IG by Engine Group USA, Kessler was CEO and president of youth marketing agency Noise, and then was president of Deep Focus, where he oversaw several key functions that provided research, planning, analytics, social media strategy and account services to clients such as Unilever, Intel and Nestle.

“There is no company in the industry with more momentum or a deeper-held commitment to innovation,” Kessler said. “UTA understands that in years to come the most successful entertainment and media companies will be operating very differently than they do today, and that at the heart of that transformation will be the rapid enhancement of data-fueled insights and evidence-based decision making. I’m excited to join the incredibly talented team already in place at UTA, and to work with them to build new capabilities that unlock new business opportunities for the agency and our clients.”

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